Daily #F1 News and Comment: Friday 31st May 2013

This page will be updated throughout the day 13:0613:1913:4014:4415:14 17:09 GMT (video at bottom)

Free for All – and a case to be heard by the judge

Free practice one in Canada will see neither of it’s retained racing drivers for 2013 participate. Both Pic and Van de Garde are expected to make way for Heikki Kovalainen and for the first time during an F1 weekend, Alexander Rossi, Italy’s Autosprint reports.

“Getting into the action in Formula 1 is clearly an important step in the plan I worked towards for years and I take very seriously all the opportunities, “ says the 21 year old American. ” This will be my first outing in a CT03 and with Pirelli this year. It’s good that this is happening on North American soil, in front of a seriously passionate about Formula 1 public and who knows what our sport is all about. ”

“Even though free practice passes in a flash, it will be good to play an important part in the work of the team on track. Last time I was in F1 was in the 2012 CT02 in Abu Dhabi in November, during the young driver tests and I’m keen to see how the car has improved since. For me it will be a good session to use what I learned from the car compared to aerodynamic tests and simulations . I have an implementation plan to follow to help the team in the setting up the car for the race drivers.”

It is pretty rare for neither of a team’s race drivers to participate in FP1 because it compromises their precious track time in the build up to the race.

Apparently Tony Fernandes is to increase the budget of both his sporting toys, QPR and Caterham yet some of that additional cash may be required to pay a previous employee who failed to receive his dues for a year (de ja vue – Asian airline owners not paying people?). Jarno Trulli says, “I’m going to sue Fernandes, because he owes me a lot of money.

My career in formula one ended because I agreed to give up my place, only because I was assured that the team would fulfil its contractual obligations. To date, this has not occurred.”

If Trulli’s tale is true (sorry – 2 days in a row now) this is hardly the behaviour of an organisation flush with cash. In support of Fernandes claim to up the spend, my sources at Leafield have reported a shiny new coffee machine arrived this week.

Force India are still awaiting the $50m investment Mallya trumpeted to the world last autumn.

Ferrari duck and dive

Tyre gate rumbles on and it is interesting to see as the story develops how different aspects of the crime are emphasised. Christian Horner said to the Adam Cooper blog, “The issue is with the way this whole thing has been handled and conducted, and that is the disappointing thing. It is the lack of transparency [about the test], which is why we have chosen to protest.”

As TJ13 reported last week, Ferrari held a ‘secret’ test in Barcelona in between the Bahrain and Spanish Grand Prix and unlike Red Bull, Dominicali went to lengths to make it clear that their protest was focussed solely its use of the W04 and not the test itself.

“For a bit more of a year there has been a possibility of performing these so-called 1000kms tests that Pirelli does for its own tyre development. For Ferrari it has always been very clear that these tests could not make use of a 2013 car. In terms of running an old car, the matter is quite irrelevant, because it is totally within the rules.

This is something that we have never denied, this was very transparent. All the teams have this possibility. The tyres, the specification of the test, is something that Pirelli knows, not us.”

Whilst Ferrari appear not to have broken any sporting regulations on testing, other teams have been surprised at the testing revelations and questioned the lack of transparency. In some way this chips away at the case against Mercedes because transparency can no longer be an issued levied solely at them.

Pirelli to hold conference call

TJ13 will be taking a conference call from these 3 gentleman from Pirelli at 13:00 CET (12:00 GMT). I shall sift their evidence and inform the court of the exclusive information they will be revealing to me (and the other 40 participants 🙂 ).

Sutil – PMA and all things philo and psych

Having suffered the effects of tertiary PMT for much of my life, it is good that Mrs Judge is now advancing in years. Adrian Sutil however believes strongly in having a psychological approach to everything he does. POsitive Mental Attitude.

He tells Speedweek, “You always have to believe in the good and this year’s Force India is simply the best Formula 1 car I’ve ever driven. Beautifully balanced, it draws a crisp, very comfortable to drive. “ Adrian reveals he won’t wear a yellow sweater on race day, he always climbs into the car from the same side and sucks on a gummy bear before the start of the race.

“I prefer positive thinking – incidents are part of sport and it is important to me that I understand each in each case what happened, then I can look forward optimistically to the next race. If you believe in it, then success comes. Maybe I need another two years working on it, but it will come. “

“Patience is important in order to succeed, you have to believe in yourself, while remaining true and trusting in your strengths. This includes mental training. I’m not joking, it is logical that some things are clearly recognizable – but every now and then you can miss something which the psych will spot. This belief I have goes far beyond the sport. It’s a philosophy of life. What exactly are we doing there, but lets not go into that now…”

Maybe Adrian has not yet managed to visualised his big ‘make up’ with Lewis following their ‘break up’. Sutil felt betrayed because Hamilton refused to attend his hearing for the grievous bodily harm charges brought against Adrian, following an incident in a bar in China 2011 both he and Lewis attended.

Sutil concludes cryptically, “I am convinced that you have to be self-critical as you go through life, only then will you improve. I appreciate it when someone is honest with me. The same is true of life in the paddock which is not so different from real life: For example, there always people who like you and those who do not. That’s fine with me. I prefer it that a man says to my face that he cannot be doing with me, rather than pretend.”

I think someone is polluting the Formula 1 paddock water supply with testosterone. We have the Iceman losing his cool and threatening to punch Perez, Sutil calling out whoever may dislike him for a face to face and Felipe with an repeated irrational grudge against the barrier on the entrance to the Saint Devote corner.

How big is yours?

Boat, car, hotel or bottle? Everything in Monaco is a competition for whose is the largest. Well a millionaire British businessman had the biggest bar bill for sure. The Mail reports Charles Shaker, a entrepreneur and adviser to the ultra wealthy, forked out the fortune on an extremely rare Armand de Brignac Brut Gold ‘Dynastie’ collection of champagne.

This all happened at the Billionaire’s Club, one of the most glamorous venues in Monaco; a place frequented by Hollywood A-listers, famous singers and super-rich businessman. Leonardo Di Caprio was present at the time.

It took a procession of 12 staff to carry out the round of drinks which cost a staggering £330,000. This included a Midas bottle, which holds a huge 30-litres of champagne, and alone required four men to carry it in a custom-made gold ‘Roman Litter’ champagne bucket.

A partygoer said, “Everyone was dancing, when the music suddenly stopped. The DJ then came on the mic and congratulated Charles Shaker on ‘buying the world’s first Armand de Brignac Dynastie Collection’. We then saw what seemed like a spectacular, never-ending stream of gold bottles being bought through the club – all different sizes.

The club went crazy, everyone was trying to take pictures, cheering and clapping. Shaker’s table then started opening bottles and waiters were pouring champagne for everyone. It was an amazing night”.

THE TYRE TESTS CARRIED OUT THIS YEAR HAVE BEEN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYRES FOR 2014

PIRELLI NEVER ASKED TO USE A 2013 CAR FOR THE TESTS. THE USE OF A 2013 MERCEDES WAS DISCUSSED DIRECTLY BY THE TEAM AND FIA

ADEQUATE TESTING IS FUNDAMENTAL FOR TYRE DEVELOPMENT

THE DELAMINATION ISSUE WAS RESOLVED BY PIRELLI TECHNICIANS IN THE LABORATORY AND NOT THROUGH TRACK TESTING

EXPERIMENTAL TYRES FOR CANADA NEVER TRIED BY ANY
DRIVERS PIRELLI ANSWERS FIA

Milan, 31 May 2013 – Pirelli, in development testing with teams carried out in 2013, has not favoured any teams and, as always, acted professionally, with transparency and in absolute good faith. The tyres used were not from the current championship but belonged to a range of products still being developed in view of an eventual renewal of the supply contract. Further, none of the tests were carried for the purpose of enhancing specific cars, but only to test tyre solutions for future championships. The use of the car utilized by Mercedes, in particular, was the result of direct communication between FIA and the team itself. Pirelli did not ask in any way that a 2013 car be used: not of Mercedes nor Fia nor the teams which, during the year, were offered the opportunity of participating in tests for the development of tyres for 2014. The tyres that will be tested by the teams in the free practice at the Montreal Grand Prix have never been used by the teams before. With regard to the new tyres, the problem of delamination has been solved by Pirelli’s technicians exclusively through laboratory testing. Delamination, which only occurred on four occasions and always because of on-track detritus, has never put the drivers’ safety at risk, but does risk harming Pirelli’s image. This is why the company decided to intervene.

With regard to the rules which govern its conduct, the company has always respected the contractual limits which bind it to the FIA, teams and championship’s organizers, and has always respected the principles of sporting loyalty.

Pirelli, however, feels the need to reaffirm the indisputable need to carry out tests for the development of tyres which are adequate and regulated by rules which are clear and shared by all the interested parties. The company confirms its availability, as communicated to the teams many times in the past, to organize tests for the development of tyres for 2014 with all the teams in the championship.

PIRELLI’S ANSWERS TO FIA

With regard to requests for information received from FIA, Pirelli promptly provided the answers needed to clarify what happened at the tests, as far as its own responsibilities went.

DEVELOPMENT TESTS FOR 2014 TYRES WERE OFFERED TO ALL: NO FAVOURTISM

The tests were conducted in observance of the contract between Pirelli and FIA, which gives the supplier the possibility of carrying out tests for the development of tyres with each team of up to 1,000 kilometres, without specifying the type of car to be used, nor sanctioning the simultaneous presence of all the teams for the running of the tests. In this regard, Pirelli has since 2010 made it clear that it is neither possible nor useful to carry out this type of test with all the teams simultaneously. In fact, this type of testing aimed at technological development and researching new solutions, involves many tyres of different types which must be tested with a single car at a time. Testing for championship specifications is different, as occurs in winter testing which require the participation of all the teams, so as to find the most satisfying solutions for all the cars in the competition. For this reason, Pirelli insists on the need for winter testing under conditions which are truly representative of the situations which will be met during the championship.

Already in March 2012, Pirelli sent an email to all the teams, Fia and Fom, inviting the teams to indicate their availability for testing for the development of tyres for 2013. Further, the company explained that it was necessary to conduct the tests with the teams’ cars because it did not have a suitable one of its own (Pirelli has the use of an adapted 2010 Renault and, before that, a 2009 Toyota).

The invitation was subsequently repeated in various official contexts and repeated to some teams last March for the development of tyres for 2014.

THE TEST CONDUCTED IN BARCELONA WAS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYRES FOR 2014 AND NOT FOR THE MODIFICATION OF 2013 SPECIFICATIONS

This test, as always, carried out with a single compound never used in a championship, regarded structures not in use in the current season and not destined to be used later during the 2013 season. The tyre tests were conducted “in the dark”, which means that the teams had no information on which specifications were being tested or about the goal of the testing; nor did they receive any type of information afterwards.

Further, the tests did not regard delamination in any way, as that problem was dealt with and resolved by Pirelli’s technicians through laboratory tests, with the support of data gathered during the first races of the season.

Pirelli always asked for representative cars, that is, with performances comparable to those of the cars being used in the championship underway, without ever referring to those effectively used in the 2013 races.

The “2013 MERCEDES” At BARCELONA WAS THE SUBJECT OF DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE TEAM AND FIA. PIRELLI MADE NO REQUESTS AND HAD NO WAY OF KNOWIING IF RULES WERE BEING VIOLATED

The Barcelona test was conducted in cooperation with Mercedes between May 15 and May 17, 2013. The teams made available one car and two first tier drivers, who alternated at the wheel on different days.

The trials were done with a base compound, not in use this year, and 12 different structures which had never been used in 2013, only one of which with kevlar.

The team did not obtain any advantage with regard to knowledge of the behaviour of the tyres in use in the current championship.

The type of car used during the tests was the subject of direct discussions between Mercedes and FIA, as shown in the exchange of emails between the team and Pirelli. In particular, Mercedes informed Pirelli that its 2011 car could not be used and that it had already contacted Fia regarding the use of the 2013 car. There is no doubt that the questions relating to the vehicle were the exclusive domain of the team and that Pirelli was excluded from these questions (notwithstanding Pirelli’s need, from a technical point of view, to have a representative car in terms of impact on the performance of the tyres).

To confirm that this was an ordinary development test and not aimed at specific interventions, Pirelli made no specific requests about the drivers or about the tye of Mercedes staff that would be present during the tests and had fielded its normal team for development testing.

EXPERIMENTAL TYRES FOR THE CANADA GP NEVER USED BEFORE

The tyres with the new structures in kevlar which will be given to the teams during the free practice at the Montreal Grand Prix will for the first time be track tested, following laboratory development. The new tyres have overcome the problem of delamination. This phenomenon in no manner compromises the drivers’ safety but risks damaging the company’s image. At the Canada tests, the teams will have the opportunity to express their opinions and make observations.

NO CHANGE TO THE “DURATION” OF THE TYRES

Pirelli, ready as it is to make changes at any moment, has made no modifications that effect the duration of the tyres and, consequently, on the number of pit stops during the race because of a lack of unanimity of the part of the teams.

Questions from the judge

TJ13’s trusty, mostly silent and invisible Editor in Chief attended the Pirelli teleconference on behalf of us all and we are grateful. We await a transcript from the Pirelli media department so the following is neither verbatim or exact quotations, but is is what we discovered.

Interestingly, the timing of this forum appeared to catch out the mainstream broadcasters. Right at the end of the Q&A, only Reuters, the BBC and Ted Kravitz managed to ask 1 question each at the end

Paul was asked had he heard about the Michelin social media campaign this week asking F1 fans would they like to see the French manufacturer re-enter the sport. He hadn’t, however he suggested there was still time for a new manufacturer to win the 2014 contract to supply tyres to F1, but it would be tough to get the factory tooled up and set up properly in time.

We also asked Paul would Pirelli consider taking part in F1 were there to be a change of regulations which allowed 2 tyre suppliers each year. Surprisingly he did not say no, and corrected the view that they had always demanded to be sole supplier. However he feels this is unlikely due to the requirements of the commercial rights holder and the FIA.

Another question we put to Pirelli was whether they are insistent on their participation in F1 being conditional on them being allowed to produce the kind of degradable tyre we see at present. Paul reverted to the Canada race model mantra – but the connection was not good an maybe he didn’t get the question in full. We pressed the point and this time Paul spoke about 2014 tyres and how they would be far more robust.

We questioned Paul closely on the scrap of paper handed out by the FIA Sunday evening after the race. We wanted to know in particular whether there was confusion between Pirelli and the FIA over protocol’s of who should inform/confirm who about testing – as inferred below in para 3.

Amusingly, Paul was a little evasive and suggested this may be discussed should they be required to attend a hearing in Paris.

Another question from TJ13 was again fielded by Paul Hembery as we wanted to know whether the 2014 tyres would be bullet proof as he had suggested in the FIA press conference the Thursday before the Monaco race. He confirmed the Pirelli rubber (if they get the contract) will be much more durable next year, and the teams will have lots of other things to worry about… running out of fuel… engines blowing up maybe…. ERS failures losing 33 secs a lap of power… oh and interestingly Paul did say during the teleconference, he believes the cars will wheel spin in 4th and 5th gear under the new V6 turbo regulations.

Pirelli assert that the new tyres provided for testing in FP1 Canada will be introduced at Silverstone. We asked did Pirelli require and have explicit agreement to introduce new tyres for Silverstone. Paul fudged the issue saying that all the teams agree something should/can be done – just some want a lot more than others.

I don’t have the quote to hand, but Hembery used a phrase akin to ‘broadly in favour’ which dodged the question. Clearly no team is going to refuse point blank to agree to the new tyres, though as TJ13 reported yesterday Gerard Lopez is close to that position.

I’d be very surprised if Pirelli get the green light from all 11 teams immediately following the trials in Canada and then there is the possibility that there is rain during FP1. Should that happen there is zero chance we will see the revised Pirelli rubber for the British GP race.

You have to give Pirelli credit, they provide a lot of access to the media and will be giving the fans a similar teleconference opportunity in a couple of weeks. This despite some of the vitriolic rubbish that has been spoken and written about them, when they simply are doing what they were asked to do.

Paul Hembery did say during the teleconference, he believes the cars will wheel spin in 4th and 5th gear under the new V6 turbo regulations, that will be most interesting.

Pirelli have used over 12,500 tyres this year – 14 have failed.

All tyres used in Mercedes test were not for use ever – past, present or future – in 2013. They did run a prototype tyre on the Mercedes, but as the test was blind the team would not know when that was. Even that tyre had a completely different compound to the revised tyres to be run in FP1 in Canada. The test was to see how tough the belt pack was and didn’t require compounds similar to those in present use.

Hembery inferred during these tests around 20 different compounds are tested and this means to use more than 1 team – 1 car even – would be of “zero value to us”. Further it was confirmed that no setup changes were made by Mercedes to the car, this would clearly corrupt the data being gathered.

Something I picked up at the weekend was reiterated today. Other teams were prior to Monaco and are now in ongoing discussions with Pirelli about running a similar test. Who were they and why did they not speak up?

TJ13 reported a couple of days ago, that there was a practice among certain teams which switched the ‘handed’ rear (tyres as indicated by Pirelli) from the left to the right and visa versa. We were told today this practice had been taking place since 2011.

Any ideas?

It looks like its make out of recylced tin. Imagine doing 175 mph in this.

Nice, so Pirelli pass the buck, they claim they’re in the clear and it’s all between Merc and FIA now about using the 2013 car. Funnilly enough Pirelli say that Merc notifed FIA that they could not use their 2011 car. So FIA seems to be in rough waters right now.

Quite frankly, I think Paul Hembery is just plain lying at some points. First of all, the explanation that they couldn’t know if Mercedes breached the rules by using a 2013 car doesn’t fly. The rules are accessible to everyone, so they could have known. Ignorance is no excuse.
Also, even if Mercedes did have FIA approval, where is it in written form? So far nobody could prove that FIA has ok’ed a test with the 2013 car. As an impartial supplier, Pirelli should have made sure they’re not giving anyone an advantage, but considering Hembery’s statements re Red Bull throughout the season, impartiality isn’t on Pirelli’s agenda anyway.
Also, whom does he want to sell that Mercedes didn’t gain an advantage from it? The track time alone is a huge gain already and there’s still no way to assure that Mercedes didn’t fit any new aero parts or suspension parts.
Several teams have publicly stated that they have not been invited to test (Lotus, FI, Sauber), so either all those teams are lying, or Paul, when he insists that everyone was invited under the same conditions.
Sorry, but I simply don’t believe him.

The words ‘Denmark’, ‘State’, and ‘smell’ come to mind…
The il-logic going on here is amazing.
We have been constantly told this was a Pirelli test, first, foremost and forever. Pirelli have been told by the FIA they have to use an older car. If MBz arrive with the current car surely Pirelli are obliged to say: “Woa, Ross, my Man… where’s your old car…?” They surely aren’t allowed to say: “You say you’ve spoken to the FIA…? Ah well, never mind, lovely boys… Let’s get on with it…”
It-was-a-Pirrelli-test – Pirelli-are-responsible…! 😉

I refer the honourable gentleman to the comments I made at the weekend. The FIA have screwed up and not specified the exemption for the 2013 car properly. Hembery said today, they clearly knew there was to be a test with a 2013 car.

“Objection…! – m’lud (in a whisper…)”
The jury is being led to believe Pirelli is innocent, and the ‘fault’ lies between MBz and the FIA, with the emphasis on the latter). Nobody will deny the nonsense that is ‘The FIA’ but if they did not specifically grant their honourable dispensation MBz is guilty of providing a vehicle of dubious status… which Pirelli accepted… for THEIR test…! (sorry for the capitals, but there’s no italic or bold…)
I have every sympathy for Pirelli/Hembury (without a contract for 2014 they should not even be preparing tyres for next year – what other business would do such a thing…?) but… it was their test – and they are passing the buck. Just because they wear nice suits, and smile at the jury, they are not necessarily ‘squeaky-clean’… 🙂
–
[NB: Is the FIA treating Pirelli as they recently (mis)treated a certain doctor…? And will the FIA leave it until Christmas before announcing they have a deal with Yokohama(?) – or even the London Rubber Co…!] 😉

Paul said today, there were ‘ongoing discussions’ between Mercedes and the FIA prior to the test – which is a shade more in depth than we’ve been led to believe before. Again – its looking like the FIA’s cockup to me.

So all this is just another consequence of Charlie Whiting’s mismanagement? I wouldn’t be surprised at all. But I have to say I just can’t believe a word from Pirelli and Paul Hembery anymore, all this year I have been reading Hembery’s declarations only to find out a few days later that he was lying, they lost credibility for me.

Lying is not only saying ‘this green bicycle is red’. Take the aftermath of Barcelona for instance. People (teams, media) were miffed about the high number of pit-stops and Hembery had the audacity to come out and say – ‘now look Vettel has also done 4 pit-stops in 2011 and won. People have short memory.’

That shatters his credibility completely. Everybody with a shred of knowledge about F1 knows, that the four stops in 2011 were a strategical option, while in 2013 they were a necessity and even then were possible only with more tyre saving in between. He tries to sell bovine excrement stories. You can call it lying, trolling, whatever. For the credibility of Pirelli it is disastrous.

And his constant singling out of Red Bull is another credibility nightmare. In addition to the Barcelona 2011 tale, he said twice (after Malaysia and Barcelona) that they would hand the title to Red Bull if they undid the changes that make the 2013 tyre so useless. That means the tyres were deliberately designed to put the brakes on Red Bull, but at least they’ve analyzed the characteristics of the lemonade tins to know that without their prank tyres they’d run off into the distance, which makes it again probable that the current tyre woes of RB are more than just Adrian Newey having gone down the wrong path.

Add to that the fact that suddenly the only other team beside RB, which has serious tyre problems turns out to have had a three day test with current car and drivers, which nobody, including the gouverning body, was not fully aware of.
Pirelli always say they want more testing. So what stopped them from saying “look, guys, we’re testing with Mercedes this week. Maybe you wanna watch it and decide whether it isn’t something you want to help us with, too.”
They would have been inundated with offers, but it was all done with the FIA left in the dark as well. I smell a rat and since my supper is liquid and comes from a keg, it can’t be the reason.

There are many other examples of Hembery saying what “people want to hear” just to change his speech later, these few come to my mind:
– That tyres were degrading in preseason testing only due to low temperatures in Spain, that it wouldn’t happen in race weekends.
– That any pubiclity was good and the tyres weren’t failing. Then he said that they were failing only due to debris in the track. Now he says these failures are bad publicity for Pirelli thus they have to change the tyres.
– That they had chosen the right tyre compounds for the first races. Just to change them later, like in Spain.
– That they would change the tyres from Canada on and there was nothing to avoid it. Then he said the changes would be less than originally planned. Now we don’t have changes in Canada.
– That every team was invited to test. I have read declarations of at least two team principals saying they weren’t invited.
They are under a lot of pressure and Hembery login in to his Twitter account every time they are criticized to say something we won’t stand by two days later is not helping. To me they already lost credibility, I don’t trust when I read a tweet from Hembery because I know he will say something different two or three days later.

I agree – why would they…?
So WHY are they spending loadsamoney to prepare for 2014 – without confirmation…?
Meanwhile Michelin, Yokohama or the London Rubber Co. could be already preparing tyres, waiting in the wings…
What happens if the contract goes to another company in September, say…? Will Pirelli then whine about being unfairly treated. If the tyre company has to test next year’s tyres in the current year they should have a contract for it BEFORE the current season starts. I could never imagine conducting my business in this way.
After Melbourne, at the latest, Pirelli should have stopped preparing for next year… If they are wanted, they would have got the contract. If they didn’t get the contract, they would know the situation.
This tyre situation seems to have been handled in the same was as the Medical Unit Chief Doctor… and there the incumbent was unceremoniously dumped…

Pirelli did not want to participate in F1 as did Bridgestone. They required the tyres to degrade as this would give them visability. We asked Paul Hembery this very question today and he agreed for the past three years this was the case.

However, he replied stating that in 2014, the tyres will be much more robust because the teams will have 1/3rd less fuel to contend with and cars which will easily wheel spin in 4th and 5th gear if not handled carefully.

We specifically asked Paul in their experience as a tyre manufacturing entering the sport in 2011 – whether it was getting too late for a new manufacturer to set up a factory, tool up, design and test new tyres. He replied “Yes”.

My feeling from conversations I’ve had over the past couple of weeks is that for FOM/Bernie it is a done deal, the FIA are dragging their feet. just my impression though.

Your Honor, thank you for sharing the directly acquired info from the Pirelli press event. This is very, very informative. The technical information made public today is most intriguing.

I have a question regarding a bit of information you obtained after the teleconference.

Pirelli said in their statement, “The trials were done with a base compound, not in use this year, and 12 different structures which had never been used in 2013, only one of which with kevlar.”

Then after the teleconference you shared with us that, “Hembery inferred during these tests around 20 different compounds are tested…”

That is significant, as the only mention of the compounds in the statement is the single “base compound”. This was a significant test of 12 different possible structures for 2014. Plus they were testing various compounds, all based around a single base compound.

Just for clarity, would confirm to us if you meant to write “combinations” or “compounds”, when you wrote “…around 20 different compounds…”?

I have to say if you listen to the Q&A on the telecast link I’ve posted – If we’d not been there it would have been boring and probably finished in a few minutes. The mainstream media were nowhere and we asked 5 questions with subsidiary questions too.

In regard to your point of clarification, I apologise – it was combinations… he actually said 15-20 as well – not just 20.

The trade off between getting you the news ASAP and having time to write up later word perfect and with direct quotes is a trade off. The of course shades of the tale may not be clear. I was writing and tweeting as Hembery was speaking… which is an interesting challenge 🙂